The Great Displacement: Climate Change and the Next American Migration

4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars | 262 ratings

Price: 17.05

Last update: 01-10-2025


About this item

Shortlisted for the 2024 Carnegie Medal for Excellence

The “closely observed, compassionate, and far-sighted” (Elizabeth Kolbert, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Under a White Sky) story of climate migration in the United States—the personal stories of those experiencing displacement, the portraits of communities torn apart by disaster, and the implications for all of us as we confront a changing future.

Even as climate change dominates the headlines, many of us still think about it in the future tense—we imagine that as global warming worsens over the coming decades, millions of people will scatter around the world, fleeing famine and rising seas. What we often don’t realize is that the consequences of climate change are already visible, right here in the United States. In communities across the country, climate disasters are pushing thousands of people away from their homes.

A human-centered narrative with national scope, The Great Displacement is “a vivid tour of the new human geography just coming into view” (David Wallace-Wells, New York Times bestselling author of The Uninhabitable Earth). From half-drowned Louisiana to fire-scorched California, from the dried-up cotton fields of Arizona to the soaked watersheds of inland North Carolina, people are moving. In the last few decades, the federal government has moved tens of thousands of families away from flood zones, and tens of thousands more have moved of their own accord in the aftermath of natural disasters. Insurance and mortgage markets are already shifting to reflect mounting climate risk, pricing people out of risky areas.

Over the next fifty years, millions of Americans will be caught up in this churn of displacement, forced inland and northward in what will be the largest migration in our country’s history. Jake Bittle is “an empathetic writer” (NPR) who compassionately tells the stories of those who are already experiencing life on the move, while detailing just how radically climate change will transform our lives—erasing historic towns and villages, pushing people toward new areas, and reshaping the geography of the United States.


Top reviews from the United States

  • Michael O. Simmons
    5.0 out of 5 stars The Great Displacement is real and personal. This book tells that story.
    Reviewed in the United States on November 8, 2024
    Drawing on actual accounts of climate displacement America, Jake Bittle tells the story that will impact all human life on Earth, and raises the multiple and complex questions that we must answer if we are to survive. It is an easy but disturbing read; it is also challenging but hopeful. Bittle trades in fact and fact-based speculation. He also trades in successes and possibilities. Can we turn these into life saving actions?
  • David
    4.0 out of 5 stars Deeply personal
    Reviewed in the United States on March 7, 2023
    Well this is an interesting read, especially since the author can write and empathize with the personal stories of the people and situations covered. And yet the book left me with a deep feeling of gloom. I have read a lot of depressing books on climate change, starting with 5 degrees. Reading this book I had a new appreciation of just how difficult this was all going to be in the short to medium term. This is not a story of climate change deniers. No, it a series of stories of very normal people, people caught up in the early stages of this whole affair. People who just wanted to get on with their lives. Then flood, then fire and so forth. This will grow more common, obviously, as we move more deeply into the 21st century. It reminded me just how dug in most of us are most of the time. Look ahead? Move now? The family! The beautiful view! But, but....a million good reasons not to. So we don't, or at least most of us don't, particularly since it is hard to imagine where to go. This is us, just more or less waiting for the catastrophe that will force a change and even then trying to make as little change as we can. Hence the gloom. As a whole we will probably do nothing except rebuild in areas we should leave, until we are absolutely forced into doing something else. Then we will all do it at once. Not a happy thought if you consider than there are 8 billion of us to do the changing or even if you consider just the US. Still, if you like the personal story approach to this whole issue, then this is a very good book. Sort of like seeing the climbers on the face of El Capitan. Mesmerizing.
  • CRC
    5.0 out of 5 stars Translates abstract Climate concepts into real world-impacts
    Reviewed in the United States on July 11, 2024
    I don't get to read as many books as I used to, these days, so it's rare that I get to recommend one, as most of my time is spent on work, or preparing materials for my own lectures, classes or upcoming new book.

    I just finished reading "The Great Displacement" by Jake Bittle, which was recommended to me by a colleague sometime ago (thanks for the excellent recommendation), and I am now passing that recommendation on to my connections and followers.

    This is an excellent book if you're interested in understanding how Physical Risk (both Acute and Chronic) manifests itself on real people, communities and societies, and what it will entail in years to come.

    It is rich in first-hand testimony and real world cases which are relatable, easy to understand, and strike a chord with any reader, as it turns an abstract concept such as climate change into tangible and practical examples of real, every-day outcomes.

    If you're wondering about how cities and towns will change as a result of climate, and the impact that this will have on society and the individuals that it affects, this is a must-read.
    Customer image
    CRC
    5.0 out of 5 stars Translates abstract Climate concepts into real world-impacts
    Reviewed in the United States on July 11, 2024
    I don't get to read as many books as I used to, these days, so it's rare that I get to recommend one, as most of my time is spent on work, or preparing materials for my own lectures, classes or upcoming new book.

    I just finished reading "The Great Displacement" by Jake Bittle, which was recommended to me by a colleague sometime ago (thanks for the excellent recommendation), and I am now passing that recommendation on to my connections and followers.

    This is an excellent book if you're interested in understanding how Physical Risk (both Acute and Chronic) manifests itself on real people, communities and societies, and what it will entail in years to come.

    It is rich in first-hand testimony and real world cases which are relatable, easy to understand, and strike a chord with any reader, as it turns an abstract concept such as climate change into tangible and practical examples of real, every-day outcomes.

    If you're wondering about how cities and towns will change as a result of climate, and the impact that this will have on society and the individuals that it affects, this is a must-read.
    Images in this review
    Customer image
  • Justine
    5.0 out of 5 stars Ever so timely!
    Reviewed in the United States on October 18, 2024
    I read this book during the week and half in between the direct impacts of Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton, toy home in Florida. This book explained so much about storms, disasters, climate migration and the who, what, when, where, and most importantly, the WHY behind it all.

    It was very digestible and easy to understand, but also not " dumbed down" in any way.

    I intend to go find other articles and journals that Mr. Bittle has written for further reading.
  • Kindle Customer
    3.0 out of 5 stars Okay book
    Reviewed in the United States on August 1, 2024
    If you're just looking for personal stories about climate disaster or a quick read to say you're informed then this is your book. If you want actual data and graphs then read "On The Move"; it's everything that this book is not.
  • Amazon Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Vital reading for any concerned American
    Reviewed in the United States on March 2, 2023
    From the most accomplished reporter of his generation we have a tour de force look into how real people's lives are being shaped by storms, droughts, sea level rise and wildfires. Whatever you think about the politics of climate change, everyone can see that natural disasters are forcing people to move, forcing others to pay more to stay where they are, and throwing some into homelessness altogether. You should buy this book for its vivid and empathetic portraits of resilient Americans alone. But, if you're also someone who wants to know what the future might hold for you and your children, no book will better provide a guide to how a changing planet will forever alter the face of this beautiful country.
  • Amazon Customer
    4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting read
    Reviewed in the United States on December 20, 2024
    Pretty good primer on the effects of climate change that we have already seen in the US. Follows some of the ripple effects of a disaster out, which was pretty cool. I also learned quite a bit about the origins of cajun culture that was interesting. I wish the author had expanded more on climate destinations in the United States specifically, ways to build resilience in our homes and communities when faced with the effects of climate change, but he does a good job of more of a surface level primer. I think this is a good book to read for someone starting to learn more about this topic.
  • Laura Thompson
    5.0 out of 5 stars Engaging stories
    Reviewed in the United States on July 15, 2024
    Excellent book. The stories about real people and climate disasters bring to life our challenges. Too often the science alone is dry and technical. This story approach is much better at illustrating what is really happening to others in terms that are understandable and emotionally engaging.

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